A mother who force fed her baby liquid soap was spared jail. Doctors at Newcastle's RVI were baffled why the 12-week-old boy was racked with pain, fighting for breath, vomiting and suffering a red-raw mouth rash.

They staged a battery of tests, including a brain scan, X-rays and even a risky lumber puncture.

And they administered intravenous fluids as well as antibiotics.

But all the time the infant's own mum was causing his condition by poisoning him with chemical soap from a dispenser in the hospital cubicle.

She was only caught when a medic spotted a pink stain on the infant's Babygro, realised it matched the colour of the soap and developed identical symptoms when he tasted a sample.

The mother, 22, and from Newcastle but not being named to protect the baby's identity, pleaded guilty at the city's Crown Court to child cruelty and administering a noxious substance with intent to endanger life.

She is now pregnant again.

Judge David Wood warned the offences were so serious they would normally be punished with prison.

But reports from a team of leading psychiatrists revealed the mother, who has never explained why she poisoned her son, was suffering a borderline personality disorder.

And instead of jail, Judge Wood imposed a three-year community rehabilitation order with the condition she attend a series of special therapy sessions.

He told her: "You took your baby to hospital complaining he was unwell when the reality was you had made him ill by feeding him with a cleaning fluid used by hospital staff.

"Whilst he was in hospital you repeatedly gave him doses of that substance, caused him to be ill on a number of occasions and the medical experts were able to detect what you were doing.

"These offences are inevitably very serious. They would normally justify a substantial prison sentence. However I have to take into account your mental illness at the time and how that illness is continuing to affect you now."

The baby went on to make a full recovery and is now cared for by grandparents with the mother having limited supervised access.

She has staged a suspected suicide attempt while on remand at Low Newton, Durham, but will now live with a relative in Northumberland as part of the community order.

Her barrister Eric Elliott told the court: "She's a girl of hitherto good character who clearly has had very real problems."